Tag: tourism

Eurostar, the company that operates train services between Great Britain and the European mainland through the Channel Tunnel, will start a new service between London and Amsterdam in April. The company has said that the new route is another step towards connectingmajor European capitals to the UK by rail.

Trains will travel twice a day between London and Amsterdam via Brussels and Rotterdam. The journey will take about three hours and 40 minutes.

Eurostar will offer tickets starting at £35 one-way, which is expected to compete with cheap budget airlines on the route between London and the Dutch capital.

The service especiallytargets businesspeople who prefer comfortable foot space and WiFi. In addition, Amsterdam has become increasinglypopular among UK tourists. Over 4 million passengers travel between London and Amsterdam, one of Europe’s busiest air routes, every year.

Travel between the UK and Western Europe has increased strongly in the last two decades. Since the start of Eurostar services in 1994, the number of travellers between London andParis, Eurostar’s first route, has doubled.

While passengers leaving London will be able to travel to Amsterdam without interruption, travellers from Amsterdam to London will be required to undergo passport and security checks in Brussels. This is only a temporary measure and only should only last until the end of 2019.

Eurostar high-speed train – Image: Kabelleger / David Gubler

Words

budget airlines = airlines that offer cheap tickets, but not as many services as other airlines do

capital = the most important city in a country; where the government is

compete = here: to be able to attract as many passengers as airlines do

connect = link together

decade = ten years

double = to be twice as much

especially = above all

foot space = room for your legs when you sit

in addition = also

increasingly = more and more

interruption = to stop something

mainland = the European continent, without the islands that belong to it

major = very important

measure = law, action

offer = sell

one-way = only to a destination; not back again

operate = here: to run a service

popular = liked and well-known

prefer = like

require = need to; must

security check = here: officials check your passport and see that you don’t bring anything illegal into a country

A recentstudy shows that the world’s coral reefs have been showing signs of strong bleaching due toglobal warming. In the 1980s bleaching was rare, occurring about once every 25 years. Now the rate has risen to about once every five years. Environmentalistspredict that by 2050 bleaching will happen every year or two.

Bleaching is caused when warm water breaks down the algae inside the reefs. They provide food for the corals and keep them healthy. When algae fall off, corals lose their colour and can die within a short period of time. Even if the water surrounding the reefs gets colder again it may take years for the damaged reefs to recover completely.

While bleaching is especially a problem in the waters of the Carribean Sea and Western Atlantic, reefs around Australia and South Africa have hardly been hit. In addition to the warming temperatures of the oceans, coral reefs are also endangered by pollution and overfishing.

Coral reefs are an important ecosystem. They are home to 25% of all marine species and provide a habitat for countless types of fish. Reefs protect coastal regions from flooding and tidal waves. In addition, coral reefs are tourist attractions that lure millions of people every year. The tourist industry around the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, for example, is worth about 5 billion dollars a year.

Healthy coral on the left and bleached coral on the right

Words

billion = a thousand million

bleaching = to make something pale or white; when an object loses its colour

break down = to change its structure

Carribean Sea = sea between North and South America

cause = the reason for something; why something happens

countless = too many to be counted

due to = because of

ecosystem = all the animals and plants in a certain area and the way they live together

endangered = to be in danger

environmentalist = a person who cares about the world around us

especially = above all

global warming = when the temperatures in the atmosphere get higher because of increased amounts of carbon dioxide

habitat = place to live

in addition = also

lure = attract; here: bring people to the area

marine species = animals and plants that live in the oceans

occur = happen

overfishing = when you take too many fish from the sea so that the overall number of fish becomes too low

pollution = when water becomes dirty so that it cannot be used anymore

predict = to say that something will happen in the future

protect = keep safe

provide = give

rare = not very often

recent = a short time ago

recover = to become as healthy as they were before

sign = to show that something is happening

study = a piece of work that is done to find out more about a certain topic

surrounding = around

tidal wave = very large ocean wave that flows over land and destroys things

Authorities at Uluru National Park have announced that tourists will no longer be allowed to climb up to the top of Australia’s most famous landmark. The ban will take effect at the beginning of 2019. Officials say that Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is not an entertainment park, like Disneyland.

About 250 000 people visit the large red monolith in central Australia every year. However, only about 16% want to climb the rock.

Although Australia’s government wants to keep the site open for hikers to climb, the decision was made out of respect to the native Australians who consider Uluru as a sacred place. In 1985 the government returned it back to the aboriginalpeople of the region. For a long time , local residents have asked visitors not to climb the rock out of respect.

National park authorities are worried that hiking to the top of 1,100 ft high rock will damage the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tour operators are now in search of other ways to show the monolith to its visitors, including camel rides around it.

Uluru National Park is open all year round, but climbing is only allowed on certain days because of strong winds and other weather conditions. Climbing the rock is not always safe. In the last 70 years , 35 people have died in climbing accidents.

Not all locals, however, are in favour of the ban. Some say that hiking should only be allowed with a guide and on special pathways.

Uluru – Image: Thomas Schoch

Words

Aboriginal people = people who have lived in Australia from the earliest times on

although = while

announce = to say officially

authorities = an official organisation that controls or is in charge of something

ban = order that stops something from being done

consider = think that…; look at something as …

damage = cause harm to something

entertainment park = area where you can go to in order to have fun, ride on roller coasters etc..

government = the people who rule a country

guide = person who shows you around a place

hiker = someone who walks long distances in the mountains

in favour of = to be for something

including = also

landmark = something that is easy to see , even from far away

local = a person who lives in the area

monolith = a large tall block of stone

native Australians = the people who have been in Australia before Europeans came

official = a person in an organisation who is in charge of something

pathway = track that is made for walking

resident = a person who lives in a place

sacred = holy , religious

take effect = put into effect, become a law

UNESCO World Heritage Site = place that has been selected by the United Nations because it is very valuable ; it should be protected by all countries

The first commercial flight landed on the British island of St. Helena a few days ago. It was the first passenger flight ever to land on the remote island, located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. St. Helena’s authorities hope that the new air service from Johannesburg, South Africa will help boost tourism on the island.

Up to now only a boat service every three weeks connected the island with the African continent. It took a ship about 6 days to travel from South Africa. The small island reliesheavily on British aid to survive. St. Helena’s tourism officials say that the new air link will bring 30,000 visitors to the island every year, compared to only 4,000 last year.

The airport cost almost £ 300 m and has been widely criticised as being the most useless airport in the world. Only smaller airplanes can fly to the island because strong winds to not allow large jet planes to take off and land.

Saint Helena is mostly known as the island to which French emperor Napoleon was banned and diedafter he had suffered a defeat at Waterloo. The British overseas territory is only 122 square kilometres large and lies 2000 km off the coast of Africa. It has a population of 4,200 .

Development on the island has been slow. It got its first mobile phone service in 2015 and the first luxury hotel on the island is opening soon. Wildlife and nature on and around the island is why tourists find there way to St. Helena. A Marine Protected Area was established there last year.

The new airport on St. Helena – Image: Paul Tyson

Words

aid = financial help; money

air link = flights to and from a place

air service = company that arranges flights

authorities = the people who rule a place

ban = here: to bring someone to a faraway place so that he/she cannot escape

boost = improve; make better

coast = where land meets the sea

commercial = with passengers on board who pay for the flight

development = to increase business, trade and growth in a region

emperor = man who rules a group of countries

establish = create

heavily = very much; strongly

luxury hotel = very expensive hotel

Marine Protected Area = place in the ocean where animals and plants are protected

The government of Thailand has announced that smoking on tourist beaches will not be allowed any more. Those who do not obey the new law must pay a fine of up to $3850 or risk going to prison for a year.

The ban will affect 20 tourist beaches. Authorities in Thailand have been coping with the problem of cigarette butts being thrown away and polluting the country’s wonderful beaches.

Tourism officials say, however, that there will be places further inland where tourists will be allowed to smoke.

The ban was proclaimed after authorities collected over 140,000 cigarette butts on a 2.5 km long stretch of beach on Phuket Island – 30% of all the total waste found near the coast.

Tourism makes up about 10% of the Thailand’s income. About 35 million people visit the country’s beaches every year.

Phuket Beach

Words

affect = here: where the new law is put into effect

announce = to say in public

authorities = organisation or government department that has the power to make decisions

ban = law that forbids something

cigarette butt = part of a cigarette that remains when someone has finished smoking

cope = deal with

income = the money a country gets for services and products

inland = farther away from the beaches

obey = follow, respect

official = person who is in a high position

pollute = to make dirty

prison = building where you keep people as a punishment because they have done something wrong